


West Coast

by LovingItLazy



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Romance, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:48:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29315106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovingItLazy/pseuds/LovingItLazy
Summary: Now that Nick has joined the police force, his and Judy’s relationship couldn’t be any closer...right?A Zootopia series about discovering more about the ones closest to you, and how doing so can lead to a bond that’s stronger than you could have possibly ever imagined it to be. Takes place about 5 months after the events of Zootopia.This fic will contain language and mature themes (including the topic of PTSD and abuse). Viewer discretion is advised. Will be updated at random, just usually whenever I have an idea in my head. I will try to update as often as I can.
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	West Coast

“...nick...”

...

“...Nick.”

...

“NICK!”  


“Gah!” Nick exclaimed, nearly leaping out of his office chair as he finally awoke. He turned around to the direction of the noise to find a familiar rabbit looking him over. “What? I’m...” a yawn interrupted his defense. “...awake.”

“Uh, clearly you were not,” Judy stated. “I could hear your snoring from across the room.”

“Ah, you would indeed be correct there, Carrots. I _was_ not awake, which is why I used the present tense, to imply that I currently _am_ awake, which - of course - I am,” he replied with his classic grin, rubbing his eyes with his paws. Judy huffed in annoyance as she crossed her arms together and began tapping her foot.

“How long have you been asleep?”

“Not long, I swear,” Nick replied in a more serious tone. “I just...needed a quick recharge, y’know? I didn’t realize this job required so much paperwork.” He shuddered at the use of that last word.

“Of course it requires a lot of paperwork. We’re getting assigned a new case every week almost, except of course for when we get the bigger cases like the Sequoia Towers Scandal.”

“Hey. What did we say about mentioning the Sequoia Towers Scandal?”

“Alright, alright, fair enough. But, hey, speaking of paperwork,” Judy began. “How’s it coming?”

“It’s...coming,” Nick said as he turned back to his desk and glanced over the sheets on it. He picked up his favorite carrot-shaped pen and finished the last sentence that he was writing before he dozed off. Judy took notice of his writing utensil and smiled to herself at the fact that he still used it. Nick stretched his arms out once he finished and moved the papers to the filing cabinet under his desk. “It should be done completely by some time tomorrow.”

”Are you sure?”

”Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Good. You know how Bogo is. Always wants the reports done ASAP.”

“I’m just glad we’re taking turns on this stuff, Fluff. I don’t think I could handle doing this every time.”

“Hey, I couldn’t either. It _is_ a pain.” Judy walked to the back of Nick’s chair and used her paws to lightly massage his shoulders. Nick’s cheeks slightly reddened at the gesture, but he accepted it nonetheless. “I’m sorry if it sounded like I was mad at you, Nick. I’m not. This case has just been really stressful and I’m ready for it to be over and done with.”

“It’s alright, Carrots,” he replied with a smile. “And believe me, I couldn’t agree more.” He placed his free paw over one of hers. She smiled in return.

“Hey,” she began softly. “It’s getting pretty late, and getting close to the end of our shift. What do you say we check out for the night...and...”

“And?” Nick interrupted with a sly smirk as he got up from his seat to face her.

“And...oh, I don’t know...you could stop by my place for a cup of coffee? I-If you’d like to, of course,” she finished, her face turning a light pink. Nick chuckled.

“I’d love to, Miss Hopps.”  


* * *

“Caffeine or decaf?”

“Decaf, please,” Nick replied from Judy’s couch. “You know good and well how caffeine affects me. I’d prefer to have the ability to sleep tonight.” He stopped his train of thought. “Hey, wait a minute...what is a _bunny_ doing having _caffeine_ in her apartment?” Judy giggled at his remark.  


“Believe it or not, bunnies get tired, too.”

”Uh huh...” Nick took this time to fully get a feel of the room. The walls were painted baby blue and there were plant pots in a few corners, and although the plants themselves were certainly fake, they looked pretty. The windows had a nice, open view of downtown Zootopia, much nicer than her previous apartment’s view at least. The furniture was very tidy as well. The kitchen portion of the room in which Judy was currently occupying, although small (to a fox, at least), definitely did the job. Nick looked over to her bed and couldn’t help but notice the little details. He saw a picture of her parents on her nightstand and smiled. Although he still hadn’t met them, he was certain they were very nice people according what he had heard Judy say about them. Overall, Nick was impressed. “I gotta say, Carrots, this new apartment is very nice. Much more fitting for your style. No offense to the Grand Pangolin Arms, of course.”

“Well, I love it too,” Judy said as she began brewing the coffee. “Figured it’d be nice to have a bit more elbow room and be a bit closer to the ZPD now that we’re getting more cases. Even got my own bathroom this time! Hard work really does pay off. But...hey, what do you mean by ‘my style?’” she inquired.

“Well, y’know; it’s cozy, organized, cute, and filled to the brim with personality. Maybe a little _too_ much personality, but...point is, it suits you,” Nick teased. Judy rolled her eyes as she smiled.

“Quite the charmer, aren’t you?” she added in a sarcastic tone.

“I try, Carrots.” The conversation stalled for a bit after that as Judy finished making the coffee. Once finished, she poured a cup for Nick and herself and joined him on the couch.

“Here ya go,” she said as she placed his cup on the coffee table in front of them. She looked up at the television screen to see the local news playing.

“Thanks,” Nick said sincerely as he reached for his cup and took a sip. His eyes widened and he paused for a moment. “...Huh.” Judy turned to face him.

“Something wrong?”

“No, no, it’s just...this tastes like...” he took another sip just to make sure. “...you added chocolate syrup?”

“I may have,” she replied with a smirk.

“That’s my...how did you...?”

“I saw you make a cup a few days ago at the ZPD during break. Did I...get it right?”

“Y-yeah,” Nick mumbled as he stared off into space.

“Uh, Nick? You alright?”

“Huh?” He quickly snapped back to reality. “Oh, sorry, it’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Thank you for this, Carrots. Seriously. It means a lot,” he finished with a smile.

“Hey, anything for my partner,” Judy stated proudly, returning his expression with a similar one. The two gazed at each other in silence for a few moments. Once they fully realized it, they turned their heads back to the TV, their cheeks becoming more and more scarlet. They decided to continue drinking their coffee in silence. After a few minutes, Nick let out a loud yawn.

“Alright, I’m getting pretty tired and I’ve kept you for long enough,” he stated, looking back at her as he set his cup back down. “I’d better go on ahead and get out of your fur for the night,” he finished as he began to get out of his seat.

“W-wait,” Judy said, stopping Nick in his tracks. “You look exhausted, Nick. You...you don’t have to go all the way back to your apartment if you don’t want to.” Nick stared at her for a moment. “The couch is actually really comfy if you lie down on it, and I have some spare blankets.”

“There something you’re not telling me, Fluff?” He teased.

“Huh? N-no, it’s just...” she sighed as her face colored once again. “We’ve been so busy recently with police work, and we’re finally close to finishing this case. We haven’t been able to do something like this for a while, and...I just wanted to spend a little more time with you, _without_ the badge on. Y’know what I mean?”

“Heh. Yeah, I know what you mean, Carrots. I’ve wanted this too, trust me. If you really want me to stay, you don’t have to ask me twice.” Judy beamed at his statement.

“Thanks, Slick.” Judy helped Nick set up the couch to be at least a decent sleeping spot for him using some of her closet’s extra blankets. To finish it off, she gave him an extra pillow from her bed and laid it on the couch’s arm. Nick thanked her and as he got settled, Judy went into the bathroom to change into her night clothes. She walked out a few minutes later wearing a violet-tinted t-shirt along with some black joggers, and noticed that Nick was still wearing his police uniform, minus the coat that was on the rack by the door. “You sure you don’t need a change of clothes? I have some things that might be your size.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Trust me, I’ve slept in much worse than this.”

“Alright,” Judy accepted, but in her mind she replayed his comment and thought about what exactly he meant by that. How hard had his life been before becoming a police officer? Sure, he was making a lot of money through popsicle hustling, but that didn’t deter from the fact that there was probably a lot of traveling, running, and hiding that he and Finnick had to do. On a really bad night, what kind of conditions were they forced to sleep in? These thoughts that danced around Judy’s head saddened her a bit, but she shook it off and decided not to dwell on it. She flipped the room’s light switch off and crawled into bed as Nick turned off the TV with the remote on the coffee table. 

The pair decided to continue chatting about everyday topics for a while as they stared at the shadowy ceiling. Judy would tell a funny story from when she was on break, or Nick would sneak a one-liner into the conversation and cause Judy to burst into laughter. After a while longer, they decided it was time to get some rest and they wished each other a goodnight; but this deep connection they shared - the playful banter, the teasing, even the serious moments - it all felt so natural to them. It felt right. Both of them mentally took notice of this fact as time passed, and they couldn’t help but grin ear to ear as they drifted off.  


* * *

“Alright, here it is: one cup of coffee with extra sugar, cream, and a dash of chocolate syrup with your name on it.” A mature fox with a vibrant purple sweater handed a smaller fox a cup.

“Thanks, Mom!”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I still can’t believe a kid like you would even _like_ coffee in the first place. When I was your age, I either got some of grandpa’s homemade tea or a simple soda from a store down the road and that was enough for me.”

“Well, I like to think I have a more _refined_ taste. Or...maybe it’s just the chocolate?” The older fox laughed at the younger fox’s remark.

“Perhaps. And, hey, who taught you that word?” 

“Mrs. Thompson. She’s a great teacher. We learn new vocabulary words every week!” The woman smiled at her child.

“Well, I’m glad, Mister ‘Refined,’” she teased as she began tickling her son. He could do nothing but giggle in response. A knock on the front door interrupted their bit of fun, however. “I’ll get it,” the woman said. She walked over to the door and opened it to find another fox, this one much taller and more masculine in his features. He wore a black suit and tie that the young kit and his mother noticed looked slightly more wrinkled than usual. “Oh, hi, dear. You’re back early.” The man walked past her without saying a word and sat himself down on the couch in the small living room. “Dear? Is something wrong?”

“I need to speak with you,” he began in a stern voice. “Alone.” The woman’s confused expression grew to one of concern.

“Okay.” She walked over to her son. “Sweetie, daddy and I have to have a conversation so you need to go back to your room and play with your toys, okay?”

“Why? What’s wrong? Are you guys gonna fight?”

“No, no, no, we’re not gonna fight,” she assured her son with a whisper. “It’s...just an adult conversation, okay? You’ll understand when you’re older.” The child sighed.

“Okay.” He walked back to his room and closed the door behind him. He sat on his bed and began playing with his favorite stuffed elephant as continued to drink his coffee. After a few minutes, he heard mumbling from outside the room. Letting the curiosity overtake him, he set his cup down, walked back to the door and pressed his ear against it.

“What? How could...let you go...after all...done?”

“...don’t know...some new guy...bunch of bullshit...”

“...okay...just wait...you’ll find...another...” The kit opened the door slightly to hear better.

“No, I won’t find another!” the male voice exclaimed. “Not as well-paying as that!”

“Honey, it’s alright, we’ll just take some time together and figure it out.”

“You know damn well it’s not that easy. It’s hard enough with one mouth to feed. Now I have to worry about that little shit too-”

“Excuse me!? That is your _son_ you’re talking about, don’t you _dare_ -” the parents rose from their seats as the words thrown at one another became more and more heated.

“He’s _your_ son, Samantha. Don’t act like I ever wanted-”

“You take that back _right_ now! You _did_ want him, John. You wanted him and you _loved_ him. Then you got that new job and that’s ALL you’ve ever cared abou-”

_*SLAP*_

The child could do nothing but watch as the blow struck his mother’s face.

“You don’t think I care!?” the father continued. “I’ve worked and sacrificed for this family for years and you don’t think I care?” The mother rubbed her still-stinging cheek with her paw.

“No,” she replied with a soul-piercing stare, tears beginning to stream down her face. “I don’t,” she finished, her voice wavering. The man paused, and for a split second it seemed like he realized what he had done. Even from far away, the young fox could pinpoint the expression of regret. It was quickly followed by a shake of his head.

“I don’t have to listen to this. I’m going out. We’ll continue this conversation later.” He hastily made his way to the door and proceeded to open it.

“Oh for God’s sake, John, you cannot just-”

_*SLAM*_

The woman huffed and puffed as the battle had finally stalled. She stood still for a few moments, before inevitably falling to her knees. The child could hear the sobs from his door. He finally closed it to avoid being caught, as droplets filled his own eyes. He had always thought it was strange; how whenever she cried, he would find himself crying as well. Now? Now it all made sense. He slowly walked to his bed and sat back down, burying his muzzle into the stuffed elephant. Minutes passed by. He looked back up and observed the cup his mother gave him, still on the nightstand. He wiped his eyes before he reached for the handle and brought the cup to his lips, hoping the toasty taste would bring at least an _iota_ of calm back into his world.

It was ice cold.

* * *

Nick audibly gasped as he shot up from his sleeping position on the couch. He looked around the dark room as he panted. He rubbed his eyes. They were drenched. He slowly rose from the couch and tip-toed his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and turned on the light, unaware of the two ears that had perked up from the other room. As he stared at himself through the mirror, he couldn’t help but be ashamed of the emotions he was currently feeling.

“You’re alright, Wilde,” he whispered to himself. “It’s over,” he told himself, and yet he couldn’t tear the feeling of guilt away. 

_”You did nothing,”_ a voice inside of him taunted. _”You could have done something;_ anything _...but you didn’t. You just stood there and watched. Coward.”_

“I’m not...” Nick mumbled to himself. “I’m not a coward, I’m not a coward...” he finished as his voice cracked. He put his paws over his face and let the tears fall. After a few minutes, his breathing finally slowed again. He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. Once finished, he took one last deep breath before turning off the light and opening the door. As he made his way back to the couch, he noticed a figure sitting on the bed next to it, clearly awake. _”Dammit,”_ he thought before clearing his throat.

“Hey, Carrots. Sorry I woke you up, I just needed to use the bathroom and-”

“Stop,” Judy said softly. “I heard you in the bathroom.” Nick swallowed a lump in his throat.

“How much?” he asked.

“Enough,” she answered quickly. She patted to the empty spot beside her. “Sit.” Nick sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. He obliged her request and plopped down next to her.

“Just tell me what happened,” she said, placing a hand on his leg.

“It was just a bad dream. I’m fine.”

“Nick. Please,” she begged as she faced him, although he did not return the gesture. He remained silent. “It had to do with the coffee, didn’t it?” He let out a deep sigh.

“No, I mean...yes, it did but...it’s more complicated than that.”

“Look, you don’t have to explain everything, but...at least give me _something_. There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep without knowing why.”

“...When I was little, my mother...would...make me a cup of coffee every Saturday. I wanted it the exact same way every single time. Extra sugar, extra cream, and a little bit of chocolate syrup,” Nick began, staring at the floor beneath them. He smiled faintly for a moment. “Not that big of a change in ingredients, but...I don’t remember a day she ever got it wrong. One Saturday started out like all the rest, except...”

He told her the rest of his long, tragic story. Surprisingly, he decided not to leave out a single detail.

“...and after that day...he was never the same.” Nick paused for a minute. “Usually, I’ll just get a regular cup like everyone else,” Nick continued. “But some days...some days I’ll make that special recipe...to remember the good times I had with her, and the days where there was nothing more in the world that I needed than her love. This...just happened to be the first time I recalled something bad from it.” Judy was speechless. She felt so many emotions go through her. First came sadness, which then evolved to anger, which in turn evolved into pure, unbridled empathy.

“Nick, that’s...that’s terrible,” she spoke in a sad tone. At first, she was mad at his father for doing such horrible things. Then, after a few seconds of thought, she shifted the blame towards herself. “I should’ve just given you a-”

“Stop. None of this is your fault, Carrots, I don’t want you to think that it is even for a second. You couldn’t have possibly known. And honestly it had less to do with the coffee and more had to do with...well...I have this thing that happens every now and then.” Judy tilted her head in confusion. “I’ll have visions of a bad memory in a dream or see a flash of something because of a certain thing I sense. It’s usually followed by a _lot_ of emotion. It’s just...something I’ve had to deal with for a while now.” Judy took a minute to put the pieces together.

“PTSD,” she confirmed. Nick sighed, before slowly nodding his head.

“Yeah...I guess so. Never really had the time to go check with an actual professional, but...that’s probably it.”

“Nick, I...” she paused to collect her words. “...sometimes I wish I could relate. That I could say I’ve been there before and I know what you’re going through, but...I can’t. I don’t really know what to say except that I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Nick.” She glanced at his paw that was resting on his lap. Trembling. She placed her own over it. “I don’t know that much about the specifics of it, but...I’ll do whatever it takes to help.” Finally, Nick turned to face her for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her in a strong embrace.

“You’re helping plenty already,” he said. “And sometimes...sometimes ‘I’m sorry’ is all you need to hear. Thank you, Judy.” Judy smiled before returning the hug.

“Of course.” They decided to stay in that position for a few minutes longer, letting the pain wash away through their affection.

“...Carrots?” Nick finally spoke up.

“Hm?”

“It appears that we’re in a predicament.”

“What’s that?”

“Neither of us wants to move.” Judy chuckled at his teasing, her cheeks turning red.

“It appears so,” she confirmed with a smile, partially glad that Nick wasn’t able to see her face. “You don’t want to go back to the couch, do you?” he didn’t say a word, only confirming her suspicions. “Alright,” she said before letting go of Nick. She crawled back into her bed, only this time she clearly left a spot open for a particular fox. “C’mon, there’s plenty of room.” Nick paused for a moment, before laughing as he followed her command.

“I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into, Fluff,” he began as he pulled the sheets over himself. “I’m a big-time cuddler.”

“Hmm,” she mumbled with an amused tone. “It’ll be a daunting task, but...I guess I’ll just have to endure it for tonight.” Nick grinned widely.

“Goodnight, Carrots.”

“‘Night, Slick.”

**Author's Note:**

> One more day we'll spend together  
> Let your eyes look up upon me for the better  
> Oh, I know I'm worse for weather  
> But my love I won't give up


End file.
